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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6

Mars Planetary Network for Human Exploration Era – Potential Challenges and Solutions

During 2016-2017, a study was conducted under the sponsorship of the NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program to investigate the deep space communications capacity taking into account the needs of all the present and envisioned future missions toward 2030s. It was soon recognized that planning for human exploration to Mars would impose certain unprecedent challenges, both fiscal and technical, to the current space communications paradigm. Targeting the assumed missions concepts, i.e., Crewed Mission to Phobos (CMTP) and Mars Short Stay Mission (MSSM), a Mars Planetary Network for the human exploration era has been formulated. The activity modeling and network traffic simulation/modeling we performed gave some insight into the technical challenges in space communications for the envisioned human Mars exploration era. Chief among the potential challenges are: (1) the high demand on the deep space network (DSN) assets for achieving the high-rate links, both return and forward, from Mars farthest/farther distance (up to 2.67 AU); (2) the need for resilient, persistent communication coverage for crewed vehicles, on surface and in orbits; (3) the significant period of outage for the Mars-Earth link due to superior solar conjunction; (4) the need for on-demand, simultaneous access to the proximity link by multiple vehicles and astronauts in the exploration zone; (5) the capability of determining precise, real-time, positions of surface vehicles and astronauts by the deep space habitat and/or other tele-operations entities. Solution space to each of the above challenges has been explored and analyzed in the context of the individual problem domain and, more importantly, in conjunction with that for the other challenges. This has led to an end-to-end definition of a Mars Planetary Network that would feature: (1) the fusion of deep space Ka-band and optical communications for achieving Mars-Earth high-rate links taking advantage of the optical/RF hybrid 8m/34m antennas in DSN; (2) the integrated application of the Multiple Spacecraft Per Antenna (MSPA) technique, for return link data acquisition, and the Multiple Uplink Per Antenna (MUPA) technique, for forward link data trasnmission, to reduce the number of 34m beam-wave guide (BWG) antennas needed for the era; (3) the integration of three, arrayed, 34m beam-wave guide (BWG) antennas, to provide a high G/T aperture, with the MSPA/MUPA techniques, and a dual “trunk link”approach to cut down the needed G/T -- hence, reducing the number of 34m antennas, relative to that in the single trunk approach by 50%; (4) the deployment of two areostationary/areosynchronous Mars relay orbiters; one of them could also function as (or be served by) a notional Deep Space Habitat (DSH); (5) the opportunistic deployment of a science orbiter in a Pioneer-6 type orbit, equidistant Mars/Earth, that could also serve as an intermediary relay during the Mars superior solar conjunction perod; (6) the existence of the multi-function Mars proximity link that provides the demand-assigned, multiple access (DAMA) capability; and (7) the provision of tracking observables, by leveraging on the planned Mars orbiting and surface infrastructure, to enable the in-situ navigation for surface and orbiting vehicles. This paper provides the description of the proposed Mars Planetary Network in the human exploration era, the trade-off analysis for the various alternative architectures, and the optimal solutions to the key challenges in defining this end-to-end network.

Cheung, Kar-Ming↗

Participatory Climate Research in a Dynamic Urban Context: Activities of the Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN)

The Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast (CCRUN), one of ten NOAA-RISAs, supports resilience efforts in the urban corridor stretching from Philadelphia to Boston. Challenges and opportunities include the diverse set of needs in broad urban contexts, as well as the integration of interdisciplinary perspectives. CCRUN is addressing these challenges through strategies including: 1) the development of an integrated project framework, 2) stakeholder surveys, 3) leveraging extreme weather events as focusing opportunities, and 4) a seminar series that enables scientists and stakeholders to partner. While recognizing that the most extreme weather events will always lead to surprises (even with sound planning), CCRUN endeavors to remain flexible by facilitating place-based research in an interdisciplinary context.

extreme events↗

Capability for Integrated Systems Risk-Reduction Analysis

NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) is working to increase the likelihoods of human health and performance success during long-duration missions, and subsequent crew long-term health. To achieve these goals, there is a need to develop an integrated understanding of how the complex human physiological-socio-technical mission system behaves in spaceflight. This understanding will allow HRP to provide cross-disciplinary spaceflight countermeasures while minimizing resources such as mass, power, and volume. This understanding will also allow development of tools to assess the state of and enhance the resilience of individual crewmembers, teams, and the integrated mission system. We will discuss a set of risk-reduction questions that has been identified to guide the systems approach necessary to meet these needs. In addition, a framework of factors influencing human health and performance in space, called the Contributing Factor Map (CFM), is being applied as the backbone for incorporating information addressing these questions from sources throughout HRP. Using the common language of the CFM, information from sources such as the Human System Risk Board summaries, Integrated Research Plan, and HRP-funded publications has been combined and visualized in ways that allow insight into cross-disciplinary interconnections in a systematic, standardized fashion. We will show examples of these visualizations. We will also discuss applications of the resulting analysis capability that can inform science portfolio decisions, such as areas in which cross-disciplinary solicitations or countermeasure development will potentially be fruitful.

Mindock, J.↗

Enhancing New York City's resilience to sea level rise and increased coastal flooding

Accelerating Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheet ice mass losses and potential West Antarctic Ice Sheet instability may lead to higher than previously anticipated future sea levels. The New York City Panel on Climate Change Antarctic Rapid Ice Melt (ARIM) upper-end, low probability sea level rise (SLR) scenario, which incorporates recent ice loss trends, improved ice sheet-ocean-atmosphere modeling, and potential ice sheet destabilization, projects SLR of up to 2.1 m by the 2080s and up to 2.9 m by 2100, at high greenhouse gas emissions (NPCC, 2019). These results exceed previous high-end SLR projections (90th percentile) of 1.5 m by the 2080s and 1.9 m by 2100, relative to 2000–2004 (NPCC, 2015). By 2100, the 1% annual chance (100-year) floodplain could cover 1/3 of the city's total area under ARIM; around 1/5 of the area could be flooded during monthly high tides. Some low-lying locations could become permanently inundated by late century. Will New York City coastal resiliency initiatives, guided, in part by NPCC findings, suffice for very high sea levels? Additional research is needed to determine technological, environmental, or economic limitations to coastal protection and to decide when and where strategic relocation may become necessary.

Sea level rise↗

A Strategic Approach for Dense, Integrated, Vehicle Navigation

Drone usage has been on the rise in recent years with applications that include parcel delivery, wildlife protection, precision farming, law enforcement, and industrial inspection, just to name a few. Once regulations and safety policies are put in place to allow for the widespread use of unmanned drones, the number of aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS) is expected to skyrocket to millions, potentially congesting the airspace which increases the likelihood of separation violations and possibly incidents. Currently, flight infrastructure can only support a few thousand aircraft flying over the United States National Airspace System (NAS) at any given time. A delay at one airport can send ripple effects throughout the system, causing more delays and missed connections. In air traffic control, separation is the concept of keeping an “ownship” aircraft outside a minimum distance from “intruder” aircraft to reduce the risk of the aircraft colliding, as well as preventing accidents due to secondary factors, such as wake turbulence. Maintaining proper separation is often a safety critical property for fixed-wing drones in the airspace. This paper addresses drone separation in time and distance for high volume corridors (en route) and lanes (on ground), merging as well as crossing intersections of multiple corridors/lanes. In this paper, the term drone is applied to both Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) vehicles operating autonomously. There exists a gamut of approaches to the merging and crossing problems. At one end of the extreme are the conservative yet low cost and verifiable solutions of today that deal with two drones at a time. At the other end are complex Machine Learning-based solutions with high computing requirements for fully autonomous drones of the future that are expected to handle all contentions. This paper presents a feasible and verifiable strategic approach to these problems that is based on distributed cooperation between the drones and the infrastructure. Three phases of the strategic approach (Prepare, Adjust, Commit) are presented. Simulation results are presented that show the proposed approach is stable and resilient to induced perturbations and guarantees a set of fixed-wing drones to merge and cross intersections by adjusting their speed based on their distance to the aircraft in front of them while remaining in the equilibrium state. The equilibrium state is defined as the state when a set of n aircraft move at a relatively constant speed and uniform spacing from each other in a congested system. A congested system is defined as the state when at least one aircraft cannot move at its maximum allowed speed. Unlike existing centralized and pre-planned approaches, the proposed solution is fully distributed and enables autonomous aircraft to decide to adjust their speed and distance with respect to the preceding aircraft, dynamically. Simulation results are presented that assess the feasibility of the approach.

Distributed↗

A Strategic Approach for Dense, Integrated, Vehicle Navigation

Drone usage has been on the rise in recent years with applications that include parcel delivery, wildlife protection, precision farming, law enforcement, and industrial inspection, just to name a few. Once regulations and safety policies are put in place to allow for the widespread use of unmanned drones, the number of aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS) is expected to skyrocket to millions, potentially congesting the airspace which increases the likelihood of separation violations and possibly incidents. Currently, flight infrastructure can only support a few thousand aircraft flying over the United States National Airspace System (NAS) at any given time. A delay at one airport can send ripple effects throughout the system, causing more delays and missed connections. In air traffic control, separation is the concept of keeping an “ownship” aircraft outside a minimum distance from “intruder” aircraft to reduce the risk of the aircraft colliding, as well as preventing accidents due to secondary factors, such as wake turbulence. Maintaining proper separation is often a safety critical property for fixed-wing drones in the airspace. This paper addresses drone separation in time and distance for high volume corridors (en route) and lanes (on ground), merging as well as crossing intersections of multiple corridors/lanes. In this paper, the term drone is applied to both Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) vehicles operating autonomously. There exists a gamut of approaches to the merging and crossing problems. At one end of the extreme are the conservative yet low cost and verifiable solutions of today that deal with two drones at a time. At the other end are complex Machine Learning-based solutions with high computing requirements for fully autonomous drones of the future that are expected to handle all contentions. This paper presents a feasible and verifiable strategic approach to these problems that is based on distributed cooperation between the drones and the infrastructure. Three phases of the strategic approach (Prepare, Adjust, Commit) are presented. Simulation results are presented that show the proposed approach is stable and resilient to induced perturbations and guarantees a set of fixed-wing drones to merge and cross intersections by adjusting their speed based on their distance to the aircraft in front of them while remaining in the equilibrium state. The equilibrium state is defined as the state when a set of n aircraft move at a relatively constant speed and uniform spacing from each other in a congested system. A congested system is defined as the state when at least one aircraft cannot move at its maximum allowed speed. Unlike existing centralized and pre-planned approaches, the proposed solution is fully distributed and enables autonomous aircraft to decide to adjust their speed and distance with respect to the preceding aircraft, dynamically. Simulation results are presented that assess the feasibility of the approach.

Distributed↗

Hilo Bay Water Resources: Monitoring Water Quality in Hilo Bay, Hawaii to Support Future Community Planning

Designated as an impaired body of water by both state and federal water quality standards, Hilo Bay, Hawaiʻi is highly susceptible to brown water, a condition where the water becomes murky and is associated with excess levels of bacteria, contaminants, and nutrients. A breakwater in Hilo Bay, which was established to protect Hilo town from tsunamis, interferes with water circulation and prolongs the presence of brown water in the bay. The State of Hawaiʻi issues brown water advisories (BWAs) following flash flood warnings, sewage spills, and other events to indicate a public health concern for those who use Hilo Bay for recreation, cultural purposes, and fishing. Due to the elevated public health risk and ecosystem disturbance that brown water poses to Hilo Bay, we partnered with the Hawaiʻi County Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience (OSCER) to examine the feasibility of using Earth observations (EO) to monitor water quality in the Hilo Bay region. We leveraged data from Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Landsat 9 OLI-2, and Aqua and Terra Moderate Resolution Imagine Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments to identify and assess spatial and temporal patterns of two main water quality parameters, turbidity and chlorophyll-a, during BWAs. We used the Optical Reef and Coastal Area Assessment (ORCAA) tool in Google Earth Engine to process EO data and generate water quality maps and time series. Our study found that increased turbidity levels can be identified by EO data during BWAs. In addition, our map products indicated the presence of several turbidity plumes along the coast, with the highest concentration of turbidity found within Hilo Bay. While chlorophyll-a levels were relatively flat within our study region during BWAs, we found that regional chlorophyll-a patterns could be derived from MODIS chlorophyll-a data in NASA Worldview. Our study’s multi-sensor approach provided valuable insights for how water quality in the Hilo Bay region can be monitored in the future.

remote sensing↗

Overview of NASA Glenn Seal Program

The Seal Team is divided into four primary areas. These areas include turbine engine seal development, structural seal development, acoustic seal development, and adaptive seal development. The turbine seal area focuses on high temperature, high speed shaft seals for secondary air system flow management. The structural seal area focuses on high temperature, resilient structural seals required to accommodate large structural distortions for both space- and aero-applications. Our goal in the acoustic seal project is to develop non-contacting, low leakage seals exploiting the principles of advanced acoustics. We are currently investigating a new acoustic field known as Resonant Macrosonic Synthesis (RMS) to see if we can harness the large acoustic standing pressure waves to form an effective air-barrier/seal. Our goal in the adaptive seal project is to develop advanced sealing approaches for minimizing blade-tip (shroud) or interstage seal leakage. We are planning on applying either rub-avoidance or regeneration clearance control concepts (including smart structures and materials) to promote higher turbine engine efficiency and longer service lives.

Steinetz, Bruce M.↗

Building Climate Resilience at NASA Ames

NASA Ames Research Center, located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay (SFB) estuary has identified three primary vulnerabilities to changes in climate. The Ames Climate Adaptation Science Investigator (CASI) workgroup has studied each of these challenges to operations and the potential exposure of infrastructure and employees to an increased frequency of hazards. Sea level rise inundation scenarios for the SFB Area generally refer to projected scenarios in mean sea level rather than changes in extreme tides that could occur during future storm conditions. In the Summer of 2014, high resolution 3-D mapping of the low lying portion of Ames was performed. Those data are integrated with improved sea level inundation scenarios to identify the buildings, basements and drainage systems potentially affected. We will also identify the impacts of sea level and storm surge effects on transportation to and from the Center. This information will help Center Management develop future Master Plans. Climate change will also lead to changes in temperature, storm frequency and intensity. These changes have potential impacts on localized floods and ecosystems, as well as on electricity and water availability. Over the coming decades, these changes are going to be imposed on top of ongoing land use and land cover changes, especially those deriving from continued urbanization and increase in impervious surface areas. These coupled changes have the potential to create a series of cascading impacts on ecosystems, including changes in primary productivity and disturbance of hydrological properties and increased flood risk.The majority of the electricity used at Ames is supplied by hydroelectric dams, which will be influenced by reductions in precipitation or changes in the timing or phase of precipitation which reduces snow pack. Coupled with increased demand for summertime air conditioning and other cooling needs, NASA Ames is at risk for electricity shortfalls. To assess the anticipated energy usage as climate changes, the Ames CASI team is collecting historical energy usage data from Ames facilities, historical weather data, and projected future weather parameters from the CASI Climate subgroup. This data will be incorporated into the RETScreen model to predict how energy usage at Ames will change over the coming century.

climate↗

Developing a Robust, Interoperable GNSS Space Service Volume (SSV) for the Global Space User Community

For over two decades, researchers, space users, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) service providers, and international policy makers have been working diligently to expand the space-borne use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and, most recently, to employ the full complement of GNSS constellations to increase spacecraft navigation performance. Space-borne Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) applications employing GNSS are now ubiquitous in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). GNSS use in space is quickly expanding into the Space Service Volume (SSV), the signal environment in the volume surrounding the Earth that enables real-time PNT measurements from GNSS systems at altitudes of 3000 km and above. To support the current missions and planned future missions within the SSV, initiatives are being conducted in the United States and internationally to ensure that GNSS signals are available, robust, and yield precise navigation performance. These initiatives include the Interagency Forum for Operational Requirements (IFOR) effort in the United States, to support GPS SSV signal robustness through future design changes, and the United Nations-sponsored International Committee on GNSS (ICG), to coordinate SSV development across all international GNSS constellations and regional augmentations. The results of these efforts have already proven fruitful, enabling new missions through radically improved navigation and timing performance, ensuring quick recovery from trajectory maneuvers, improving space vehicle autonomy and making GNSS signals more resilient from potential disruptions. Missions in the SSV are operational now and have demonstrated outstanding PNT performance characteristics; much better than what was envisioned less than a decade ago. The recent launch of the first in a series of US weather satellites will employ the use of GNSS in the SSV to substantially improve weather prediction and public-safety situational awareness of fast moving events, including hurricanes, flash floods, severe storms, tornados and wildfires. Thus, the benefits of the GNSS expansion and use into the SSV are tremendous, resulting in orders of magnitude return in investment to national governments and extraordinary societal benefits, including lives saved and critical infrastructure and property protected. However, this outstanding success is tempered by dual challenges: that for GPS, the current SSV specifications do not adequately protect SSV future use; and that for GNSS, the capabilities that are currently available are not protected in the future by specifications.

Bauer, Frank H.↗

Developing a Robust, Interoperable GNSS Space Service Volume (SSV) for the Global Space User Community

For over two decades, researchers, space users, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) service providers, and international policy makers have been working diligently to expand the space-borne use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and, most recently, to employ the full complement of GNSS constellations to increase spacecraft navigation performance. Space-borne Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) applications employing GNSS are now ubiquitous in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). GNSS use in space is quickly expanding into the Space Service Volume (SSV), the signal environment in the volume surrounding the Earth that enables real-time PNT measurements from GNSS systems at altitudes of 3000 km and above. To support the current missions and planned future missions within the SSV, initiatives are being conducted in the United States and internationally to ensure that GNSS signals are available, robust, and yield precise navigation performance. These initiatives include the Interagency Forum for Operational Requirements (IFOR) effort in the United States, to support GPS SSV signal robustness through future design changes, and the United Nations-sponsored International Committee on GNSS (ICG), to coordinate SSV development across all international GNSS constellations and regional augmentations. The results of these efforts have already proven fruitful, enabling new missions through radically improved navigation and timing performance, ensuring quick recovery from trajectory maneuvers, improving space vehicle autonomy and making GNSS signals more resilient from potential disruptions. Missions in the SSV are operational now and have demonstrated outstanding PNT performance characteristics; much better than what was envisioned less than a decade ago. The recent launch of the first in a series of US weather satellites will employ the use of GNSS in the SSV to substantially improve weather prediction and public-safety situational awareness of fast moving events, including hurricanes, flash floods, severe storms, tornados and wildfires. Thus, the benefits of the GNSS expansion and use into the SSV are tremendous, resulting in orders of magnitude return in investment to national governments and extraordinary societal benefits, including lives saved and critical infrastructure and property protected. However, this outstanding success is tempered by dual challenges: that for GPS, the current SSV specifications do not adequately protect SSV future use; and that for GNSS, the capabilities that are currently available are not protected in the future by specifications.

Bauer, Frank H.↗

NASA Envisioned Future Priorities for In-Space Transportation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States of America (US) has ambitious objectives for robust logistics solutions to commercialization of geocentric space, sustainable presence in Cislunar space and on the Lunar Surface, Human Mars exploration and expanded deep space robotic exploration. Critical to all these objectives are robust and affordable in-space transportation solutions. Resilient logistics is a precursor to sustained development and leveraging commercial investments. A range of near-term priority investments are required to enable the future envisioned state for In-Space Transportation. Advanced technology components and integrated system demonstrations for cryogenic fluid management are appropriate for viable human class propulsion and future leverage of In-Situ Resources Utilization propellant products. Space Nuclear Propulsion, both thermal and electric, investments enable human Mars exploration with reduced earth launches. Advanced propulsion investments enable lower cost development cycles and operations in addition to higher performance solutions for future robotic and extreme environment exploration. This paper provides a high-level overview of NASA’s plans for the development of in-space transportation capabilities, a description of the state-of-the-art, capability goals, technical challenges and gaps, and options for partnerships with industry and other agencies towards developing a robust power logistics infrastructure to support NASA’s objectives.

Propulsion↗

NASA Envisioned Future Priorities for In-Space Transportation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States of America (US) has ambitious objectives for robust logistics solutions to commercialization of geocentric space, sustainable presence in Cislunar space and on the Lunar Surface, Human Mars exploration and expanded deep space robotic exploration. Critical to all these objectives are robust and affordable in-space transportation solutions. Resilient logistics is a precursor to sustained development and leveraging commercial investments. A range of near-term priority investments are required to enable the future envisioned state for In-Space Transportation. Advanced technology components and integrated system demonstrations for cryogenic fluid management are appropriate for viable human class propulsion and future leverage of In-Situ Resources Utilization propellant products. Space Nuclear Propulsion, both thermal and electric, investments enable human Mars exploration with reduced earth launches. Advanced propulsion investments enable lower cost development cycles and operations in addition to higher performance solutions for future robotic and extreme environment exploration. This paper provides a high-level overview of NASA’s plans for the development of in-space transportation capabilities, a description of the state-of-the-art, capability goals, technical challenges and gaps, and options for partnerships with industry and other agencies towards developing a robust power logistics infrastructure to support NASA’s objectives.

Propulsion↗

Marsbee - Swarm of Flapping Wing Flyers for Enhanced Mars Exploration: NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) - Phase I: Final Report

Mars exploration has received significant interest from academia, industry, government, and the general public. Despite continued interest, flying on Mars remains challenging, mainly due to the ultra-thin Martian atmospheric density. Although the gravitational acceleration on Mars is 38 percent of Earth's 9.8 meters per second squared, the Martian atmospheric density is only 1.3 percent of the air density on Earth. The aerodynamic forces are proportional to the ambient fluid density. Therefore, flying near the surface of Mars has been considered nearly impossible. The proposed mission architecture (Fig. 1) consists of a Mars rover (already existing) that serves as a mobile base for Marsbees - a deployable swarm of small bio-inspired flapping wing vehicles. In one ConOps scenario, each Marsbee would carry an integrated stereographic video camera and the swarm could construct a 3D topographic map of the local surface for rover path planning. These flying scouts would provide a "third-dimension" to the rover capabilities. In other scenarios, each part of the swarm of Marsbees could carry pressure and temperature sensors for atmospheric sampling, or small spectral analyzers for identification of mineral outcroppings. In each scenario, the rover acts as a recharging and deployment/return station and data and communication hub. Human exploration of Mars is one of the major objectives of NASA and commercial entities such as SpaceX and Boeing. The identified innovations unique to the bio-inspired flapping Marsbee provide viable multi-mode flying mobility for Martian atmospheric and terrain exploration. A swarm of Marsbees provides an enhanced reconfigurable Mars exploration system that is resilient to individual component failures. These Marsbees can carry sensors and wireless communication devices in combination with a Mars rover and helicopters. These enhanced sensing and information gathering abilities can contribute to the following NASA Mars mission objectives: i) "Determine the habitability of an environment", ii) "Obtain surface weather measurements to validate global atmospheric models", and iii) "Prepare for human exploration on Mars." Various commercial entities, e.g. SpaceX and Boeing, are investing in technologies to transport humans to Mars.

Kang, Chang-kwon↗

NASA Initiatives to Support Renewable Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure

Initiatives to build and manage climate-resilient infrastructure require spatially explicit environmental and climate information. NASA’s vantage point of Earth from space provides valuable observations that, in concert with additional information, can be used to inform both the design and operation of infrastructure that builds resilience to climate stressors. In this presentation, we provide an overview of how NASA Earth science is used to support decision-making associated with climate adaptation and mitigation, with a particular focus on renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure. Much of this work is currently delivered through NASA’s Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) project, which generates high quality solar and meteorological data products that are customized to the needs of user communities. Importantly, these products are delivered through a variety of web-based applications that make it easier for users to access relevant and timely information. We will highlight several examples of how the impact of POWER is scaled via a robust user community and discuss further plans to expand impact. Additionally, this presentation will highlight efforts of the NASA Earth Science Division’s Energy & Infrastructure Applications program to expand collaborative activities with researchers and practitioners that work on renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure.

Allison K Leidner↗

Using Time Series Data Products to Support ASHRAE’s Historic and Future Climate Data Needs through NASA’s POWER Web Services

To address the data needs for resilience and sustainability of building systems within ASHRAE, the NASA Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resource (POWER) project facilitates the use of NASA Earth Science data on a long-term, global scale. Solar data from several NASA projects and meteorological data from NASA assimilation models have been reformatted and disseminated to the public via a user friendly web GIS-enabled based data portal (https://power.larc.nasa.gov) in selectable data formats, immediately amenable to key industry wide decision support tools such as EnergyPlus. Time series of potential climate conditions from downscaled climate simulations are being made available for similar statistics and formats. An emphasis is placed upon obtaining and utilizing time series data to conduct analysis of building system performance for current and planning building systems for energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions. This presentation has the learning following learning objectives for the ASHRAE community: 1) Learn how NASA POWER’s web service suite can provide supplementary solar and surface meteorological data parameters, including a discussion of uncertainty. 2) Learn how downscaled climate scenario information can be provided to evaluate potential future requirements. The presentation is part of a forum entitled, "Weather Data for Large-Scale Building Energy Modeling".

time series↗

Lunar Communications and Navigation: Lunar Communications, Position, Navigation, and Time (CPNT) Architecture

The NASA Moon-to-Mars (M2M) Architecture will enable the return of humans to the Moon, establish a long-term presence there, and open more of the lunar surface to exploration than ever before. This growth of lunar activity requires robust and resilient communications, position, navigation, and time capabilities for crew safety, the command and control of spacecraft, the return of science data, and the precise telerobotic maneuvering of assets both in space and on the lunar surface. Within the M2M Architecture, the sub-architecture for Communications, Position, Navigation, and Time (CPNT) details the specific CPNT systems and infrastructure required to meet the M2M objectives. Two objectives most fundamental to the CPNT sub-architecture are: (1) develop a lunar surface, orbital, and Moon-to-Earth communications architecture that scales to support long term science, exploration, and industrial needs and (2) develop a lunar position, navigation, and timing (PNT) architecture that also scales to support long term needs. The subject presentation provides an overview of the M2M Architecture, planned mission activities, and infrastructure development underway by NASA. The presentation provides overview of the surface wireless network and the challenges associated with operating on the lunar surface.

architecture↗

Arizona Water Resources Ii: Utilizing Aerial Imagery and Nasa Earth Observations to Assess Pinyon-Juniper Tree Mortality in Flagstaff, AZ

Pinyon-juniper woodlands (PJW) provide critical and resilient habitat for the local mammal and small bird species of Arizona's northern xeric environment. Drought in Arizona has been persistent for many decades, yet in 2021 PJW experienced a mass tree mortality event at the Wupatki National Monument (WNM) and in other areas across the American Southwest. Previously, researchers at the National Park Service (NPS) and the team from the NASA DEVELOP National Program attempted to quantify the extent of mortality in Northern Arizona between 2015 and 2021 using high resolution National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) aerial photographs. This project aimed to improve the previous term’s methodology and expanded the comparison of the post-mortality event in 2021 to include tree cover assessments for 2017 and 2019. In this iteration, the team utilized NAIP imagery in conjunction with Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) to calculate the total difference in PJW mortality using an unsupervised classification model trained from multi-date Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) and the Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI) data for the study area. The research also assessed correlations between tree mortality and environmental factors using Western Land Data Assimilation System (WLDAS) modelled climate data. Average PJW mortality from 2015 to 2021 was 21.63% including 19.8% in WNM with the vast majority of dieback occurring between 2019 and 2021. The correlations were weak with the most correlated variables being bare soil evaporation (0.15), rainfall (0.14), groundwater storage (0.13), and wind speed (0.12), perhaps indicating drought as a likely driver of PJW mortality.

pinyon-juniper woodlands↗